Quickly strikable air supported building structure



Se t, 29,

w. BIRD QUICKLY STRIKABLE AIR susaonma Bmwmcsmaucmam;

Filed Mary 21,,

'6 Sheets-Sheet, I

INVENTOR 5 Walter WBird Georgie FReitmeier tAnson Z'Baschmaluz' ATTORNEY Sept. 29, 1964 W. W. BIRD ETAL.

Filed May 2, 1960 s Shets-Sheet 2 2 INVENTORS W01 ter WBird Georgie Fliezitnzezer flns'on TBasc/zmam ATTORNEY Sept. 29, 1964 w. w. BIRD ETAL 3,150,570

QUICKLY STR IKABLE AIR SUPPORTED BUILDING STRUCTURE Filed May 2. 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY Sept. 29, 1964 w. w. BIRD ETAL 3,150,670 QUICKLY STRIKABLE AIR SUPPORTED BUILDINd STRUCTURE Filed May 2. 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 g INVENTORS Waltez-WTBird GeorQeEReimeier Jnson TBaschmcmn ATTORNEY Sept. 29, 1964 W. W. BIRD ETAL QUICKLY STRIKABLE AIR SUPPORTED BUILDING STRUCTURE Filed May 2. 1960 Sheets-Sheet 5 I'NVENTORS Walter W B z'rd "a": fieor fins Q Flkibmier OETBaSc/IULGJUL United. States Patent 3,150,670, QUIQKLY STRIK'ABLE'AIR SUPPORTED BUILDING STRUCTURE Walter W; 'Bird,Willia1nsviile',' George Reitmeier, East Aurora, and Anson T. Baschmann, Elma, N.Y., assignors-to the Unitedstates 'of America as represented by'the Secretaryofthe Army Filed MayZ, 1960,-Ser. No. 26,382 16Claims. (Cl. 135-4) The present invention relates to, inflatable building structures, and .more particularly to an air-erected and supported building structure which is strikable substantially instantaneously and in a manner to fall clear of the ground area normally covered by the-structure.

Inflatable building structures comprising a substantially airtight envelope erected and supported by maintaining the air in the envelope under a pressure somewhat greater than atmospheric have been increasingly utilized because .of their many advantages, such as easev of erection'and striking, the freedom of the interior thereof from obstructions to that alarge storage space is provided, and the ready adaptability of these structures to manufacture in the various sizes and shapes required for various housing or storage. needs. This has led to the use of these structures by the armed forces for various purposes, including.recent use to house various kinds of missiles. When used for this purpose, it is desirable .that. the housing structure be quickly strikable so that the housed missile may be made operational in minimum time. Use for this purpose alsojrequires the provision of means for gaining access to the interior of the erected structure at intervals by relatively large so-called checkout equipment. This was found to be best accomplished by the provision of an auxiliary compartment detachably connected to the main compartment and anairtight closure means to open the two compartments to. each .other when theywere connected together, or to airtightly close off theopening in the main compartmentv through which the. two. com-. partments Were opened to each other when thepresence of the auxiliary compartment was no longerneeded.

Accordingly, an. object of theinvention is to provide a new and improved air-erected and supported flexible building structure which is substantially instantaneously strikable and falls clear of the ground, areanormally covered thereby in. automatic response to the instantaneous striking of the structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide .a new andimproved air-erected and supported flexible building structure comprising. a plurality of sections connected together by separable fasteners of the quick'release-type.

to permit substantially instantaneous separation of the sections from each other.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved'air-erected and supportedbuilding struc-- ture of sectionalized construction, the sections of which are separable at will substantially instantaneously to strike the structure.

A still further object of theinvention is to provide a new and improved air-erected and supported building structure which is formed of a pair of duplicate flexible sections joined by separable fasteners along a line coin ciding with the ridge line of a the structure. so that the structure maybe struck by. separatingthe sections along the ridge line.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved building structure of separable sections erected and supported byv maintaining -the air therein under a pressure. slightlyin excess of atmospheric which is designed to utilize the-force exerted along the line of separation between adjacent sections by the escape of pressurized air from the structure, once separation commences, to produce a quick separation of the sections.-

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved air-erected and supported building structure including interconnectable and disconnectable' main and auxiliary compartments, communication between which may be opened and closed by substantially airtight closure means onthe main compartment so that the latter may be used. either-alone or in conjunction with, the auxiliary compartment.w

A further object of theinvention is to provide a new and improved mechanism for effecting the quick release and complete separation of the adjacent sections inan air-erected and supported building structure of sectionalized construction.

A more specific object of the invention is toprovide a new and improved mechanism forreleasablyholding the startingends of complementary .quickvrelease type slide fastener stringers in operative relationship which is releasableat will to start a quickreleaseof the coupled fasteners.

Another specific object of the invention is to provide a new and improved means for mounting slide fasteners used to connect together adjacent sections in a flexible building structure of sectionalized construction so as to facilitate replacement thereof and protect the same from the weather.

Another specific object of vtheinvention isto provide a new and improved mechanism to controlthe coupling and uncoupling oflthe closing ends of a pair of complementary quick release type completely separable slide fasteners.

Another object of the inventionis to provide a new and improved baflie to control the venting of air from an air-erected and supported flexiblebuildingstructure.

A more general object of the invention is to provide a new and improved air-erected and supported flexible buildingstructure which is relatively simple and inexpensive in construction, easily and quickly erectable and strikable which provides a maximum of covered storage space, andwhichis relatively light in weight :and easily foldable into a compact package-when'dismantled so as to. facilitate. handling,- storage, or. transportation thereof in that condition These and other objects, advantages and; capabilities of. the invention will become apparent from the following description wherein reference is bad to the accompanying drawings in which,

FIGURE 1 is a side elevationalviewof the improved building structure of thepresent-invention;

FIGURE 2 is atop plan viewthereof;

FIGURE 3 is a fronthelevational view thereof;

FIGURE 4 is a rear.elevational view thereof;

FIGURE 5 isaifragmentary transverse vertical sec-'v tional view on the line 5:5 of FIGUREI;

FIGURE 6 is afragmenta-ry front elevational'view ofv the building structure of. the present invention with the auxiliary compartment removed therefrom;

FIGURE 7 is'a fragmentary transverse horizontal sectional viewtaken on the line 7--7 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8'is'a diagrammatic layout or plan view of I an improved baflie for controlling the venting of air" ing structure of the present invention along the ridge line or the line of separation between the two sections thereof showing a mechanism for quickly releasing the starting ends of the separable fasteners used to connect together the separable sections of the structure and the closing end stop and separating means for these separable fasteners;

FIGURE 13 is a top plan view of the top or outwardly facing side of an improved mechanism for quickly releasing the starting ends of the separable fasteners which are used in the improved building structure of the present invention;

FIGURE 14 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale on the line 14-14 of FIGURE 13; and

FIGURE 15 is a view similar to FIGURE 13 on a somewhat enlarged scale showing the movable parts of the quick release mechanism at an intermediate position in the release of the starting ends of the separable fasteners connecting together the separate sections of the improved building structure of the present invention, one part of the movable release mechanism being shown in action.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the building structure of the present invention comprises an elongated main compartment of substantially semicylindrical transverse section and having spherically rounded ends 22 and 24, and a much smaller second or auxiliary compartment 26 of the same general shape centered upon the longitudinal center line of the main compartment and projecting from one end thereof. This latter end will hereinafter be referred to as the front end of the structure. The main compartment 20 comprises a pair of duplicate complementary sections 28 and 30, the line of division or separation between the sections coinciding substantially with the longitudinal center line of the man compartment and thus with the ridge line of this compartment as indicated at 32 in FIG. 2.

Each of the two half sections 28 and is formed from a plurality of panels 34 which, contrary to the usual practice, extend longitudinally of the structure. These panels may be made from any suitable tough and flexible substantially airtight material as described hereinafter. The panels have generally parallel edges throughout the major portion of their length but these edges taper to a declining width adjacent both ends thereof as seen in FIGS. 1 to 4. The adjacent panels are secured together by lapping the contiguous edges thereof and cementing these lapped edges with any suitable adhesive, sealing or bonding the same in any suitable manner as by conventional electronic means or by a combination of cementing and bonding so that a strong and airtight seam is formed between the adjacent panels 34. At their rear ends, the panels 34 in each of the sections 28 and 30 are joined in semi-circular crowns 36 (FIG. 4), while the forward ends thereof define portions of the periphery of an opening 38 in the front end of the structure which will be described in greater detail hereinafter.

The two adjacently positionable half sections 28 and 30 are releasably secured together to form the main compartment 20 by any suitable separable fasteners. Since the capability of obtaining quick separation of the two sections 28 and 30 is one of the objectives of the structure of the present invention, several features have been embodied therein to attain that objective among which is the provision of two pairs of separable fasteners for connecting together the half sections 28 and 30 instead of a single pair of separable fasteners. The two pairs of separable fasteners extend in opposite directions, i.e., in a forward and rearward direction, from a common region or starting point located between the ends of the line of separation between the two sections. This starting point is indicated at 40 in FIG. 2, and in the present structure it is located somewhat to the left of the center of the ridge line 32 of the erected main compartment for a purpose that will be described.

This common starting point 40 is shown in detail in FIGS. 12 and 13 where the forwardly and rearwardly running separable fasteners are indicated at 42 and 44, respectively. These separable fasteners may be of conventional zipper type and, to promote the desired quick separation of the two half sections 28 and 30, they should be of the quick release completely separable type which is readily available on the market. Since the for wardly and rearwardly extending separable fasteners 42 and 44, respectively, are of duplicate construction, only the forward separable fastener 42 will be considered in detail. This separable fastener comprises complementary left and right-hand stringers 46 and 48, each including a fabric tape 50, the tapes of these complementary stringers being connected along one edge thereof to the two opposed or complementary edges of the two half sections 28 and 38 by a means to be described, which forms one of the features of the present invention. Metallic jaws 0r scoops 52 are secured along the free edges of these stringer tapes 50, the scoops on the complementary left and right-hand stringers 46 and 48 normally being interlockingly coupled by the slider 54 when the latter is moved away from the strating ends of these stringers and uncoupled when the slider is moved in an opposite direction.

Referring to FIG. 10 wherein the complementary stringers 46 and 48 of the forward separable fasteners 42 and the opposed edge portions of the two half sections 28 and 30 to which these stringers are connected are shown laid out fiat, the improved separable fastener connecting means of the present invention comprises opposed or left and right-hand flaps 56 and 58 cemented or electronically bonded, respectively, to the outer sides of the opposed edges of the adjacent half sections 28 and 30. These flaps extend continuously from end to end of these sections, and they are made of the same material as the panels 34, but they preferably are of at least double ply. The union between these flaps and the sections 28 and 30 should be weatherproof for a reason to be described. Relatively narrow elongated separable fastener bonding tapes 60 and 62 are connected along one edge thereof to the underside of the external or weather flaps 56 and 58, respectively, spaced inwardly slightly from the opposed edges of the half-sections 28 and 30 by cementing or electronically bonding the tapes to the flaps and by a single row of stitching 64 so as to leave the opposed edges 66 of the bonding tapes free of attachment. These bonding tapes extend in each direction from ad jacent the starting point 40 to the outer ends of the weather flaps 56 and 58, and the complementary left and righthand stringers of the forwardly and rearwardly running slide fasteners 42 and 44, such as the complementary stringers 46 and 48 of the forward separable fasteners 42, are connected to the free edges of the tapes by a double row of stitching 68.

It will be noted that the left-hand weather flap 56, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 10, is wide enough to extend completely over the closed separable fasteners 42, while the right-hand weather flap 58 is of less width but overlaps the left flap over a portion of its width. Since these flaps are secured to the outer side of the two half sections 28 and 30 and extend from end to end of the line of separation between the two sections, they serve to protect the forwardly and rearwardly extending separable fasteners 42 and 44, respectively, throughout their length, from the weather. To prevent the outer or right-hand flap 58 from being raised by the wind, cooperating buttons 70 and buttonholes 72 are provided on the weather flaps. The buttons 70, which may be of the overall type, are arranged in regularly spaced relation longitudinally of the left weather flap 56, while the buttonholes 72 in the right weather flap 58 are spaced to cooperate with the buttons 70.

In order to permit the connection thus made to be quickly released so that there can be a quick separation of the two half sections 28 and 30, right weather flap 58 is slit from the buttonholes 72 outwardly through the free edge thereof as indicated at 74 in FIG. 11. The weather flaps 56 and 58 being of at least double ply, are relatively stiff so that under normal weather conditions or even in relatively high winds, the right flap 58 will remain buttoned down, but yet it is free to slide out from under the button 70 when the half sections 28 and 3t] begin to separate, due to the presence of the slits 74.

As is customary with separable fasteners of the quick release type, which is the type used in the improved building structure of the present invention as previously stated, the forward and rear separable fasteners 42 and 44 are coupled together to connect thetwo half sections 28 and -of the building structure together by means of manually operable sliders on each separable fastener, that on the forward separable fastener being numbered 54 and that on the rear separable fastener being numbered 76, as shownin FIG. 12, but they may be uncoupled alternatively by manual operation of the sliders 54 and 76 or substantially instantaneously by releasing the starting ends thereof which are indicated at 78 and 86) in FIG. 12 from the predetermined operative relationship shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. In accordance with another feature of the invention, an improved mechanism for releasably holding the starting ends of the two stringers in both the forwardly and rearwardly extending separable fasteners 42 and 44 in this operative relationship has been provided which will now be described.

In the drawings, the improved quick release is shown at 82 anchored to the starting region of the upper section of the building structure as viewed in FIG. 2, or to that section which would lie on the right to a viewer in the main. compartment facing the front thereof and looking upwardly. This quick release includes a base plate 84 of irregular shape and duplicate mounting plates 86 and 88 (FIG. 14) fixed to the inside and outside, respectively, of a tongue or the like on the right-hand half section 30 adjacent its inner opposed edge at the starting point 48, the mounting being by means of a pair of screws 99 (FIGS. 12 and 14). These screws are countersunk into the base plate 84 and threaded into the mounting plates to draw the latter into firm clamping engagement with the edge of the tongue or the like on section 30 and the base plate 84 into firm engagement with mounting plates 86 and 88.

Each of the two stringers in the oppositely or forwardly and rearwardly extending separable fasteners 42 and 44 have starting ends terminating in pins, the pins on the forwardly extending stringers being numbered 92 and 94 and those on the rearwardly running stringers being numbered 96 and 98. The pin 94 on the forwardly extending stringer 48 and the pin 98 on the corresponding rearwardly extending stringer 100 in the separable fastener 44 which would be located on the right side of the erected structure are fixedly anchored to the mounting plates 86 and 88 by means of rivets or screws 102 passing through the parts so that the starting ends of these stringers bear a fixed relationship to the mounting plates 86 and 88 and the base plate 84. The starting pins 92 and 96 on the second or left-hand forwardly and rearwardly running stringers 46 and 104 are anchored merely to the starting ends of these stringers so that they are free to be manipulated to a limited extent and are completely separable from the quick release mechanism. In any event, it will be apparent that by virtue of this construction the starting pins 94 and 98 are permanently or fixedly connected solely to half section 30 and starting pins 92 and 96 are permanently or fixedly connected solely to half section 28 so that these two sections are free of permanent interconnection in the starting region 40. The aforesaid starting pins 92 and 96 on left half section 28 are brought into predetermined operative relationship with the fixed starting pins 94 and 98 anchored to the mounting plates 86' and 88 and thus to the right half section 30 by releasable reversely complementary front and rear pin holding boxes 106 and 188(FIG. 13), respectively, thereby drawing the two half sections 28 and 30 of the building structure into assembled relationship in the starting region 40'thereof. The weather strips 56 and 58 have been drawn back in this view to better show-the parts. The boxes 106 and 188 are fixed upon the upwardly projecting ends of dupli cate shafts 110-and112-journaled in the base plate 84 which-have duplicate locking arms or cams 114 and 116 (FIG. 12) fixed upon their downwardly extending ends, the box and the locking cam on the shaft 110 being arranged to bereversely complementary to those on the other shaft 112. v

The locking carns 114 and 116 and hence the shafts 110 and 112 and boxes 106 and 108 are biased in the direction shown in FIG. 15 by a torsion spring 118 having two tensioned helical portions, one of which is shown at 120 in FIG. 14. These two helical portions are loosely received upon the two shafts 110 and 112 and have arms 122 and 124 projecting therefrom which are connected at their outer ends to the outer ends of the locking cams 114 and 116, respectively. Since the arms 122 and 124 are tensioned by the helical portion 120, the locking cams 114 and 116, shafts 110 and 112, and boxes 106 and 108 which are rigidly interconnected are biased by these arms in the direction indicated in FIG. 15.

The locking cams 114 and 116 are releasably locked in theoperative position shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 by a bell crank-shaped latch 126 rockable upon a pin 128 fixed in the base plate 84. One arm of this latch is notched as indicated at 130 in FIG. 15 to receive and hold the free ends of the locking cams 114 and 116, as seen in FIG. 12, and the latter are released from latched position by rocking the latch 126 on the pin 128 as seen in FIG. 15 in opposition to a spring 132 fixed between second arm of the latch and a fixed arm 134 projecting outwardly from the base plate 84. The latch 126 is rocked in opposition to the spring 132 by a lanyard 136 of one-eighth inch braided nylon, for example, fastened to a loop 138 in the notched arm on latch 126 and guided by a loop 140 at the outer end of the arm 134 through which the lanyard passes. From this point, the lanyard extends rearwardly through a series of grommets 142 along the ridge and rear end of the building structure as indicated in FIG. 2 which loosely receives the same, andit finally passes outwardly through the rear spherically:

curved end '24 to a region readily accessible to an operator on the exterior of the building structure; A stop pin 144 in the base plate 84 limits rocking of the latch 126 by the lanyard 136.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the starting pins 94 and 98 on the corresponding forwardly and rearwardly running separable fastener stringers 48 and 100being anchored to the quick release 82 which, in turn, is fixed to the right half section 30 are fixed-to this half section, whereas starting pins 92 and of the slide fasteners 42 and 44. They may be released from connection to each other in the region of the opposite or closing ends 146 and 148 of the slide fasteners- 42 and 44, respectively, by the mechanism shown in FIG.

12. This mechanism includes a so-called releasing stop' 150 adjacent the outer or closing end of the stringer 46- which is of increased thickness so as to arrest motion of the slider 54 in an outward direction, unless additional force is applied to the slider sufficient to overcome the restraint offered by the releasing stop 150, whereupon the slider 54 may be-completely disengaged from the stringer 46. A positive stop 152, comprising a length of flexible material looped over the closing end of the stringer 48 and held by a releasable button 154, prevents the slider 54-from running off the stringer 48. This loop may also be used in the manner indicated on the right-hand side of FIG. 12 which shows the releasable end of a loop 156, similar to the loop 152, passed through a thong 158 on the slider 76 and buttoned in closed position by a button 168 similar to the button 154. The slider 76 thus is tethered against working back up the slide fastener stringers 100 and 104 in an uncoupling direction. A releasing stop similar to the stop 150 is provided on the stringer 104 adjacent the closing end thereof so that the two half sections 28 and 30 may both be completely separated in the same manner at the closing ends thereof.

To prepare the structure for erection, the two sliders 54 and 76 are returned to starting position on the corresponding right-hand forwardly and rearwardly extending separable fastener stringers 48 and 100, and the second or left-hand pair of corresponding stringers 46 and 164 are brought into operative relationship with the stringers 48 and 100, respectively, by starting the coupling action of slider 54 on the complementary forward stringers 16, 48 and the coupling action of slider 76 on the complementary rearwardly extending stringers 100, 104 and then turning boxes 106 and 108 back to the latched position shown in FIG. 13, making certain that the starting pins 92 and 96 are seated in the recesses 162 in the boxes before the latch 126 is brought into locking engagement with the locking cams 114 and 116. Thereupon, the sliders 54 and 76 may be moved to the closing ends of front and back slide fasteners 42 and 44, respectively, so as to couple the two half sections 28 and 30 together. After the sliders 54 and 76 have been locked in position by looping the stop loops 152 and 156 through the thongs thereon, the weather strips or flaps 56 and 58 have been buttoned closed and the structure has been anchored to the ground by means about to be described, the building structure is ready to be erected.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3 to 5, ground anchoring strips or girdles 164 are secured on the outwardly facing side of each of the half sections 28 and 30 adjacent the lowermost edge thereof. Spacing strips 166 are interposed between the ground anchor strips 164 and the panels 34 to which they are attached as seen in FIG. 5. The ground anchor girdles 164 are scalloped, as shown in FIG. 1, so as to provide a plurality of equally spaced depending extensions 168 along the entire bottom edge of the structure which are anchored to the ground by any suitable ground anchoring means, a hook 170 being shown more or less diagrammatically in FIG. by way of example.

Also depending from the lowermost edge of each of the half sections 28 and is a ground sealing skirt 172. These skirts are wide enough to be tucked under or inwardly of the bottom edge of the building structure when it is to be erected, as indicated in FIG. 5. The sealing skirt 172 being made of the same flexible material as the half sections, it conforms to the contour of the ground, and, when the structure is erected, it is held against the ground by the internal pressure and seals the structure against any appreciable escape of air along the ground line.

The ground anchoring girdles 164 and sealing skirts 172 preferably are secured to the lowermost edges of the two half sections 28 and 38 by cementing, bonding, or any other suitable airtight securement, and these parts and the spacing strip 166 are also secured together by a row of stitching 174. As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the ground anchoring girdle 164 and sealing skirt 172 are coextensive with the bottom edges of the two half sections 28 and 30 so as to extend completely around the bottom edge of the erected building structure from one side of the auxiliary compartment 26 to the other. The spacing strip 166 is, of course, coextensive with these two parts.

In the area of the opening 38 in the forward end of the main compartment 20, the latter is anchored to the ground by a pair of heavy ground anchors 176 (FIG. 6) located at opposite edges of the opening 38 and having rings 1'78 and 180 secured thereto, respectively. The front ends 8 of the ground anchoring girdles 164 are anchored to rings 178 and 180 by cables 182 in the lower edges of the girdles connected to rings 178 and 180 by snap hooks 184.

The front ends of the two half sections 28 and 30 which define the opening 38 in the front end of the main compartment 28 are each reinforced by a suitable nylon jacketed steel cable 186, the lower ends of these cables being anchored to the oppositely located rings 178 and 18th by means of the snap books 184. These cables are fixed to the inner sides of sections 28 and 31), respectively, adjacent the forward ends thereof by means of an anchoring strip (FIG. 7) of a material similar to that of which the building structure is made lapped around the cable 186 and secured to the inner sides of the half sections 28 and 30 by cementing or bonding the same to the inner sides thereof and by a row of stitching 192 which also passes through a second anchoring strip 194 of the same material, one of the latter strips being secured to the front edge of each of the half sections 28 and 30. At their upper ends, the cables 186 are connected together by a readily releasable hook and eye connection indicated at 196 located in the region of the closing end of the forwardly running slide fastener 42. This cable is designed to resist stress at the area of the front opening 38 due to the buoyancy of the structure and to the stress imposed on the structure by the wind.

A substantially airtight closure for the opening 38 in the front end of the main compartment 20 is provided by duplicate right and left generally fan-shaped flaps 198 and 2138, respectively (FIG. 6). Each of these flaps has a circularly curved outer edge cemented, bonded, or otherwise fixedly secured to the inner edge of the right and left half sections 28 and 31), respectively, as indicated at 282 in FIG. 7, this edge of each of the flaps extending from the apex of the opening 38 to a point near the lower edges thereof. The flaps 198 and 200 are each large enough almost completely to cover the opening 38, and at the lower free ends thereof, the flaps are anchored to the ground anchor rings 181) and 178, respectively, by readily releasable snaphooks 284. By virtue of this construction, the flaps 198 and 268 overlap over the major portion of their areas and thus form a substantially airtight seal in this area. On their lower edges, the flaps 198 and 286 are provided with ground sealing strips (not shown) which may be tucked under in the same way as skirts 172 on the half sections 28 and 30 are tucked under to thereby form a seal between the flaps 198 and 200 and the ground.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, the auxiliary compartment, which may be made of the same material as the main compartment, comprises a plurality of elongated panels cemented together along the overlapping edges thereof, two of the panels being shown at 206 and 288 in FIGS. 1 and 2, which form the main body of the auxiliary compartment. The front end of this compartment is closed by a series of tapered panels 210 overlapped along the longitudinal edges thereof and cemented or bonded together along these edges and to the front edges of the panels 206. These panels join at their upper ends in a crown 212, and the envelope thus formed has a ground anchoring girdle 214 similar to the girdle 164 by means of which it may be anchored to the ground and a sealing strip 216 that may be tucked under to form a seal between the ground and this compartment when it is inflated, similar to the strip 172 on the main compartment.

This compartment is secured to the main compartment 20 by means of complementary slide fasteners to be described surrounding the opening 38 in the front end of the main compartment and the open end of the auxiliary compartment 26 which is conformed closely to fit the opening 38, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. As previously explained, the two half sections 28 and 30 forming the main compartment each have an anchoring strip 194 along the outer front ends thereof. As shown in FIG. 7, which is a hori zontal section through the left side of the opening 38 in the main compartment 20, shown in FIG. 6, the anchoring strip 194 is secured along one edge only to the front end of the half section 30 so as to leave a large portion of its width free of attachment to form a flap 218, the secured edge being secured by cementing or bonding, and by the row of stitching 192. Suitably secured to the under or inner side of the flap 218 is a reinforcing strip 220, and a slide fastener stringer 222 which couples with a second slide fastener stringer 22 connected to the free edge of the open end of the auxiliary compartment, a fragment of the latter being shown at 22s in FIG. 7, by means of stitching 228 and cementing or bonding. It is to be noted that the free end of the flap 218 is of sufficient width to overlie the two stringers 222 and 224 and thus protect the same from weather when they are coupled together.

The complementary slide fastener stringers 222 and 224 extend from the apex of the opening 38 and the same region of the auxiliary compartment 2-5 through the sealing skirts 172 and 216 at the lower edges of these two compartments so as to connect these two parts from top to bottom. A slide fastener similar to that just described is provided to connect the opposite or right side of the opening 33 shown in FIG. 6 and the auxiliary compartment 26, and these two pairs of slide fasteners are of the conventional completely separable type at both the starting ends thereof which is located at the apex as previously explained and at the closing ends thereof, so that the auxiliary compartment 26 may be completely separated from the main body 20 when its presence is no longer required.

The air required to erect the housing structure and maintain the same erected is furnished by a power-driven blower 230, FlGS. l and 2, of suitable capacity having a discharge conduit 232 communicating with the interior of the main compartment 20 adjacent the lower forward end thereof. The capacity of the blower will, of course, vary with the size of the main compartment 29 but it should be sufficient to maintain a pressure differential of between 1% inch and 1%. inch of water (.04 p.s.i.) so that the building structure will be able to Withstand wind, rain, and snow. Preferably, a flap valve (not shown) is provided to prevent the back flow of air to the blower from the main compartment should the blower stop accidentally.

Access to the interior of the erected main compartment 20 may be had through suitably located personnel access doors, one such door 234 being shown by Way of illustration in the front end of the main compartment 20 (FIG. 3), and a second door 236 in the rear end thereof (FIG. 4). These doors may be of any conventional type designed to prevent or minimize the escape of air from the main compartment 20 when personnel pass through the doors.

While. there is bound to be some leakage of air from the erected building structure herein described in such areas as the slide fastener connections between the half sections 23 and 30 and at the doors 234 and 236, for example, this is of advantage because it tends to ventilate the closed structure, and it is of no particular disadvantage because the capacity of the blower 23% need be increased only slightly to compensate for this loss. Additional ventilation or venting where that is necessary, as for example during hot weather, is obtained by an improved venting means disclosed in FIGS. 1, 2, 8 and 9. As best seen in FIG. 2, the main compartment 20 is provided with a vent opening 238 at the rear endthereof adjacent the central ridge line 32. This opening may be reinforced by framing the same with rings 240 and 242 (FIG. 9) of the same material as the main compartment fixed to the inner and outer sides, respectively of the half section 28. Adoor or baffle 244- of flexible material, similar to the material of which the main compartment is made, is provided to control communication through the vent opening. This baffle is mounted on flexible track-forming slides comprising a pair of light ropes 246 and 248 fixed at the opposite ends thereof to the underside of the half section 23 so as to extend in parallel relation centered relative to the vent opening 238. The lower ends of the ropes 246 and 248 are fixed at a level somewhat below the level of the vent opening 238, and the upper ends are fixed at a level far enough above the top edge of the main opening so that the bafile 244 may be raised far enough on the rope slides 246, 248 completely to uncover the vent opening 233.

The top and bottom edges of the baffle 244 are stiffened by rigid rods 2% fixed thereto as seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, and are provided with aligned apertures 252 and 254 adjacent the lateral edges thereof provided with eyelets 256 to reinforce the same. These aligned eyelets in the top and bottom edges of the bafile 244 are in turn aligned with a series of grommets 258 projecting from the back side of the baffle 244 adjacent the opposite lateral edges there of. These eyelets and grommets are receivable upon slide ropes 2%, 248, as seen in FIG. 9, so as to provide a sliding connection between the baffle and slide ropes.

The baffle 244 is moved along the slide ropes 246, 248 by halyards comprising an endless rope 260. connected at the opposite ends thereof to the top and bottom edges of the baffle 244 and passing over a sheave or pulley 262 connected to the underside of the half section 28 centered relative to the longitudinal center line of the rope slides 246, 248 and spaced upwardly of the level at which the upper ends of these rope slides are connected to the half section 28 so that the baffle 244 can be fully raised by pulling in the right direction on rope halyard 260; The lower loop of the halyard is brought downwardly through a series of grommets 264 on the inner side of the half section 28 to a readily accessible location near the rear end of the main compartment as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9.

To equalize the pull across the top and bottom edges of the bathe 244, the opposite ends of the rope 26% are connected thereto by divergent pulls 2% and 268 of equal length connected, respectively, to the upper and lower edges of the battle 24-4 at points spaced inwardly somewhat from the lateral edges of the bafile equal distances. As best seen in FIG. 1, a hood 270 is provided over the outer side of the vent 238 to prevent the entry of rain or snow into the same.

Briefly to described the use of a building structure constructed in accordance with the present invention, only the main compartment 20 normally is erected. Assuming the two half sections 28 and 3% to be completely separated, to couple these two sections together, the two sliders 54 and 7 6 on the forwardly and rearwardly running slide fasteners 42 and 44 are brought back to the starting point 40 along the stringers 48 and N9, respectively, and stringers 46 and 104 are brought into operative engagement with the sliders 54 and '76, respectively, by inserting pins 92 and 96 through the open sides of these sliders to start the coupling of the two pair of complementary stringers 46, 48 and 100, 1134. However, before coupling of these stringers can be carried out, the non-captive starting pins 92 and 96 must be locked in operative relationship to the captive starting pins 94, 98. As previously explained, this is done by rotating the pin boxes 106, 198 against the opposition of spring 118 to the position shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, making certain that the .pins 92, 96 are seated in the recesses in the boxes 1%, 1%, respectively. The latter are locked in this position by bringing the latch 126 into latching position with respect to the locking cams 114, 116.

This holds the two half sections 28, 3% in coupled relation in the starting region 40. Unless the boxes 1%, 108 are locked in the above-described position, it will be impossible to prevent uncoupling of the slide fasteners 42, 44 during the course of the erection of the building structure,

and thus impossible to erect the structure unless the parts are properly set beforehand. After the two half sections 28 and 39 have been completely coupled together by sliders 54 and 7d, the latter are tethered by stop loops 152,

156, respectively, as previously explained to prevent move- 1 1 ment of these sliders in an uncoupling direction. The weather flaps 56, 58 should then be closed by buttoning the buttonholes 72 over the buttons 70.

Optionally, before the slide fasteners 42, 44 are coupled, or after they have been coupled, the lower edge of the main compartment is anchored to the ground by hooking the depending extensions 168 on the ground anchoring girdle 164 to the ground hooks 170 which have previous ly been properly located on the ground or the platform on which the main compartment is to be erected. The snap hook and eye connection 196 for connecting together the reinforcing cables 186 for the front opening 33 in the main compartment 20 at the apex of this opening are secured together, and front flaps 1'98 and 200 arranged in overlapping relation and the lower edges thereof anchored in position by snapping the hooks 294 into the forward ground anchor rings 178 and 180.

After the blower 230 has been connected to the main compartment, the latter is ready to be inflated but before the blower is started, it should be ascertained that the sealing skirt 172 is tucked under throughout the perimeter of the structure.

As previously indicated, the structure of the present invention was originally designed to house the Nike-Hercules missile when the latter is in lowered or inoperative position, and, therefore, was required to be quickly strikable so that the missile could be made operational in a minimum of time. By virtue of the quickly releasable connection between the two half sections 28 and provided by the quick release mechanism 82 and the forwardly and rearwardly running quickly releasable slide fasteners 42 and 44, respectively, and the fact that a pressure differential is constantly maintained in the erected main compartment 20, the latter may be substantially instantaneously struck. This is accomplished by pulling the lanyard 136, thereby rocking the latch 126 on the pin 128 against the resistance of spring 132 which should require a pull of 4 to 6 pounds. As a result, the locking cams 11 -1, 115 are released rendering the spring 118 effective to rock these cams and the pin receiving boxes 165, 1&8 to inoperative position thereby releasing starting pins 92, 96 on the slide fastener stringers 46 and 104. Since the pressure of the air in the main compartment 20 exceeds atrnospheric pressure throughout the time the main compartment is erected, the side walls of the half sections 28 and 3t and the forwardly and rearwardly running slide fasteners 42, 44, respectively, connecting these sections together are maintained under constant tension. The tension thus generated causes the complementary stringers in the two slide fasteners 42, 44 to uncouple substantially instantaneously throughout their length in response to release of the starting pins 92, 96. This results in a sudden rush of air from the main compartment 26 along the line of separation and this sudden outward rush of air reacts against the separating edges of the two half sections 28 and 3t and tends to force the latter outwardly of the line of separation so that they normally fall clear of the ground area covered by the main compartment 20. Thus, the need for clearing the area and the possibility of equipment or personnel in the main compartment being injured from the falling half sections are eliminated, and the missile may be raised to firing position almost immediately. While a manually operable lanyard 136- has been disclosed herein for releasing the quick release mechanism 82, it will be understood that other mechanism could be used such as a solenoid.

Although flaps 198, 200 closing the front opening 38 in the main compartment are not directly connected together, very little air is lost in this region when the main compartment is erected, because the two flaps are held in close overlapping relationship over a large part of the area thereof as seen in FIG. 6 by the connection of the lower free edges thereof to the opposite front ground anchoring rings 178, 186 and by the fact that the pressure of the air on the inner flap 2% tends to bulge the latter outward- 1.2 ly into firm contacting engagement with the overlapping part of the outer flap 193.

Missiles of the type which the structure of the present invention was intended to house commonly require periodic checking, and the checkout equipment used for this purpose is too large to be brought through the personnel access doors 234, 236. However, by the use of the auxiliary compartment 26, this equipment may be readily moved into and out of the main compartment without loss of air sufiicient to deflate the main compartment. When this is desired, the equipment to be moved into the main compartment is stationed in the front of the closed forward opening 38 in the main compartment and the auxiliary compartment then draped over this equipment and anchored to the ground by means of the ground anchoring skirt 214. The open end of the auxiliary compartment 26 is then connected to the main com partment by coupling the slide fastener stringers 224 (FIG. 7) on the right side thereof to the stringer 222 on the main compartment from the apex to the lower edge thereof and also coupling the leftwardly running slide fastener so as to couple the two compartments together throughout the coinciding portions thereof. To inflate the auxiliary compartment 26 after it has been attached to the main compartment 20, the flaps 198, 20th are released from the anchor rings 178, 18% and may be draped back in an out-of-the-Way position so that communication is established between the two compartments and air from the main compartment sufiicient to inflate the auxiliary compartment flows into the latter through the opening 38. The check-out equipment may then be rolled into the main compartment. A reverse procedure is followed to remove the equipment.

Because of the use for which the specific structure shown in the drawings was designed, the starting point 46) is located somewhat forward of the center of the ridge line of the structure. By virtue of this fact and the fact that the pointed nose of the missile faces toward the front end of the main compartment 29 and normally is located below the starting point, the nose of the missile will assist in the separation of the two half sections 28 and 30 when it is raised should the two sections fail, for any reason, completely to separate automatically in response to the air pressure in the structure. It will be obvious that the starting point could be located at different positions along the line of separation between the two half sections of a building structure, or might even be located adjacent one end of the line of separation rather than intermediate the ends.

As previously stated, there is a limited amount of leakage of air along the slide fasteners 42 and 44 connecting the two half sections together but, as a matter of fact, this is an advantage rather than a disadvantage because it tends to prevent seepage of moisture through the slide fasteners. This is particularly important in cold temperatures because it prevents the formation of ice in the zipper and the consequent freezing together of the two half sections.

The specific manner in which the forwardly and rearwardly running slide fasteners 42 and 44 are connected to the opposed edges of the adjacent half sections 28 and 30 has the advantage of permitting ready replacement of damaged slide fasteners. Referring to FIG. 10, and using the left stringer 46 of the slide fastener 42 to illustrate this advantage, if damaged, this stringer is removed by severing the free edge of the bonding tape 60 along a line adjacent the outer edge of the fabric tape 50 so that a portion of the free edge of the flap 66 of the bonding tape remains. The new or replacement stringer is fixed in position by bonding the same to the remaining portion of the bonding tape 69. If additional replacements are to be made, the first replacement stringer should be removed from the bonding tape and the second replacement bonded to the remaining portion of the bonding tape.

The structure as herein disclosed for housing the Nike Hercules missile is approximately 61 feet long, 17 feet wide, and 13 feet high at the center. The opening 38 in the front of the main compartment 20 is 7 feet wide and 6 feet high. For a structure of this size, nylon weighing /2 oz. per square yard and coated with 12 to 18 ounces of translucent vinyl is used, the translucent coating making artificial illumination unnecessary during daylight hours. By virtue of its shape, accumulation of snow or water on the structure is largely prevented.

To inflate a structure of this size and maintain the sameerected, a 1 HP. direct drive, low pressure, high volume centrifugal blower preferably is used having a flow rate approximating 6,000 cubic feet per minute free delivery. This is suflicient not only to erect the structure in two or three minutes time and maintain the same erected in wind'up to 85 miles per hour, or under such snow as may collect, but also to compensate for leakage and to provide for the venting of air. through the vent 238 at the rate of approximately 3,000 cubic feet per minute. This constant venting prevents stratification of air in the structure, and gives limited control over the internal temperature. If it is desired to heat the structure, this may be done by connecting the outlet of a hot air heater (not shown) to the discharge duct 232 of the blower 230.

The use of longitudinal panels 34 in the main compartment 20 greatly simplifies the attachment of the slide fasteners to the two half sections 28 and 30 and also avoids areas of high stress along the slide fasteners.

While the structure has been described as a housing for missiles, it will be understood that the principles of the invention may be applied to structures designed for other purposes where easy erection and quick strikability are desirable. For example, structures of this type could be used o-verconstruction sites. It will also be understood that the feature of quick strikability could be applied to flexible or tent-like structures of various sizes and shapes, and that it might be used on a tent-like structure consisting of a single compartment, or of a main compartment with more than one auxiliary compartment attached thereto.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent that variations and modifications thereof may be made without departingfrom the underlying principles of the invention. It is desired, therefore, by the following claims, to include within the scopeof the invention, all such variations and modifications by which substantially the results of the invention may be obtain'edthrough the use of substantially the same or equivalent means.

We claim:

1; A quickly strikable air-erected andsupported buildin'gstructure comprising a substantially airtight envelope of flexible material separable along a line extending be tween points located in substantially the uppermost and lowermost regions of said structure, means for constantly maintaining the pressure of the air in saidenvelope sufliciently' in excess of atmospheric to maintain said structure' erected while the separable portions of said envelope are closed, complementary separable fasteners along the opposed marginal edges of the separable portions of said envelope for releasably securing together said edges, means for releasably holding the starting ends of said separable fasteners in predetermined operative relationship and slider means for coupling said separable fasteners together when the starting ends thereof are held in predetermined-operative relationship, said separable fasteners being releasable from coupled relationship alternatively by operation of said slider means or from end-to-end substantially instantaneously upon release of the starting ends thereof from predetermined operative relationship and in response to the tension generated by, the force exerted on said envelope by the excess pressure therein.

2. A quickly strikable air-erected and supported building structure comprising a substantially airtight envelope of flexible material separable along a line extending between points located in substantially the uppermost and lowermost regions of said structure, means for constantly maintaining the pressure of the air in said envelope sumciently in excess of atmospheric to maintain said structure erected while the separable portions of said envelope are closed, complementary separable fasteners along the op posed marginal edges of the separable portions of said envelope for releasably securing together said edges, slider means for coupling said separable fasteners together, said separable fasteners being of the quick'release type so as to be releasable from coupled relationship alternatively by said slider means or substantially instantaneously from end-to-end thereof in response to the combined effect of release of the starting ends thereof from predetermined operative relationship and the force exerted thereon by the excess pressure in said envelope, coupling means for holding the starting ends of said separable fasteners in the said predetermined relationship, a latch to hold said coupling means in operative position, said latch being releasable at will, and means for constantly biasing said coupling means in a direction to release the starting ends in substantially instantaneous response to release of said latch thereby to produce a susbtantially instantaneous endto-end separation of the separable fasteners.

3. A quickly strikable air-erected and supported building structure comprising a substantially airtight envelope of flexible material separable along a line extending between points located in substantially the uppermost and lowermost regions of said structure, means for constantly maintaining the pressure of the air in said envelope sufficiently in excess of atmospheric to maintain said structure erected while the separable portions of said envelope are closed, complementary separable fasteners along the op posed marginal edges of the separable portions of said envelope for releasably securing together said edges, slider means for coupling said separable fasteners together, said separable fasteners being of the quick release type so as to be releasable from coupled relationship alternatively by said slider means or substantially instantaneously from end-to-end thereof in response to the combined effect of release of the starting ends thereof from predetermined operative relationship and the force exerted thereon by the excess pressure in said envelope, coupling means for holding the starting ends of said separable fasteners in the said predetermined relationship, said coupling means being biased to inoperative position, a latch to hold said coupling means in operative position and means for tripping said latch from a readily accessible ground location to producea substantially instantaneous separation of said separable fasteners.

4. A quickly strikable air-erected and supported building structure comprising a flexible substantially airtight envelope formed of separable adjacently positionable sections, means for constantly maintaining the pressure of the air in said envelope sufiiciently in excess of atmospheric to maintain said structure erected while said adjacently positionable sections are connected together, complementary separable fasteners releasably to connect said adjacently positionable sections together, said complementary separable fasteners being fixed respectively to the separate adjacently positionable sections and the opposite ends thereof being completely separable to permit complete separation of the said sections when said complementary separable fasteners are uncoupled, slider means for coupling said complementary separable fasteners together or uncoupling the same and other means operable at will to permit a substantially instantaneousend-to-end uncoupling of the coupled complementary separable fasteners in response to the force exerted on said envelope by the excess pressure therein thereby quickly to produce a complete separation of the said sections.

5. A building structure as defined in claim 4 wherein the airtight envelope comprises a pair of complementary 15 substantially duplicate sections and the opposed marginal edges thereof lie in the same vertical plane as the ridge line of the erected structure.

6. A building structure as defined in claim 4 wherein the airtight envelope comprises a pair of complementary substantially duplicate sections and the opposed edges thereof lie in the same vertical plane as the ridge line of the erected structure and wherein the starting ends of said complementary slide fasteners are brought into operative relationship at a common area located along the ridge line of the structure.

7. An air-erected and supported building structure as defined in claim 4 wherein the said sections are contoured and dimensioned to cooperate when the envelope is erected to form an elongated semi-cylindrical structure spherically rounded at the ends thereof and separable along a line lying in substantially the same vertical plane as the ridge line of the erected structure and extending through the center line of said rounded ends.

8. An air-erected and supported building structure as in claim 4 wherein each of said sections comprises a plurality of panels of uniform width throughout most of their length extending longitudinally thereof and tapering to a declining width adjacent the opposite ends thereof, the adjacent panels in each of said sections being fixed together along the longitudinal and tapered edges thereof so as to cooperate when said envelope is erected to form an elongated semi-cylindrical structure spherically rounded at the ends thereof and separable along a line lying in substantially the same vertical plane as the ridge line of the erected structure and extending through the center line of said spherically rounded ends.

9. A quickly strikable air-erected and supported building structure comprising a flexible substantially airtight envelope formed of separable adjacently positionable sections, means for constantly maintaining the pressure of the air in said envelope sufficiently in excess of atmospheric to maintain said structure erected while said adjacently positionable sections are connected together, complementary separable fasteners releasably to connect said adjacently positionable sections together, said complementary separable fasteners being fixed respectively to the separate adjacently positionable sections and the opposite ends thereof being completely separable to permit complete separation of the said sections when said complementary separable fasteners are uncoupled, slider means for coupling said complementary separable fasteners together or uncoupling the same and other means operable at will to effect a substantially instantaneous end-to-end uncoupling of the coupled complementary separable fasteners in response to the force exerted on said envelope by the excess pressure therein, uncoupling of said separable fasteners proceeding from a point intermediate the ends of the line of separation of said sections and the pressure required to maintain said structure erected being sufficient so that its reaction against the sections separated as aforesaid by a substantially instantaneous uncoupling of said separable fasteners is to blow the sections apart and to cause the same to fall to either side of the ground area normally covered by said structure substantially completely clear of that area.

10. A quickly strikable air-erected and supported twopait building structure comprising a first airtight envelope of flexible material forming a main compartment having a relatively large opening in one side thereof, a second airtight envelope of flexible material forming an auxiliary compartment terminating at one end thereof in an opening conforming in contour to the opening in said main compartment, cooperating separable fasteners along the openings in said compartments for releasably connecting said main and auxiliary compartments together, said cooperating separable fasteners forming a substantially airtight connection between said compartments, means for constantly subjecting said main compartment to air under pressure somewhat in excess of atmospheric, flaps of flexible substantially airtight material fixed on the opposite edges of the opening in said main compartment, and means for anchoring the free ends of said flaps to hold the same in overlapping relationship, the flaps being dimensioned to overlap throughout substantially the entire area of the opening in said main compartment when anchored as aforesaid so that the pressure of air on the inner of said overlapping flaps forces the same against the outer flap sufiiciently firmly to seal the two flaps against appreciable escape of air so that the auxiliary compartment may be removed from the main compartment when the said flaps are closed, said anchoring means being releasable so that the said flaps may be opened when the main and auxiliary compartments are connected together to cause said auxiliary compartment to be inflated from said main compartment.

11. In a quickly strikable air-erected and supported building structure of flexible material having portions thereof separable along a line of separation the combination comprising complementary separable fasteners along said line of separation for releasably securing together the separable portions of said building structure, means for releasably holding the starting ends of said separable fasteners in operative relationship, said separable fasteners if closed upon release of the starting ends thereof being substantially instantaneously releasable from end-to-end thereof in response to the tension on the portions of said building structure generated by the pressure of the supporting air in said structure, flap-forming means on the separable portions of said structure disposed to overlie said separable fasteners when the latter are coupled together, a series of buttons on one of said flap-forming means arranged in spaced relationship longitudinally of the said flap-forming means adjacent the free edges thereof, the other of said flap-forming means having a series of buttonholes formed therein to button over said buttons and hold said two flap-forming means closed, said buttonholes being slit toward the free edge of said other flapforming means to permit quick release of the buttons therefrom during quick separation of said separable sections.

12. A device for releasably holding the starting ends of a pair of complementary slide fastener stringers in predetermined operative relationship comprising means shiftable to and from a position at which the starting ends of said complementary stringers are held thereby in predetermined operative relotionship, a latch releasably to lock said stringer holding means in the said position and means for constantly biasing said stringer holding means in a direction to release said stringers so as to produce a separation of the starting ends thereof in substantially instantaneous response to the release of said latch.

13. A device for releasably holding the starting ends of a pair of complementary slide fastener stringers in predetermined operative relationship so that a quick parting thereof can be initiated by separating the starting ends thereof comprising base structure, means for fixedly anchoring the starting end of one of said stringers to said base structure, a member releasably to hold the starting end of the other of said stringers in operative relationship with the starting end of the first of said stringers, a latch releasably to hold said stringer holding member in stringer holding position and means for constantly biasing said stringer holding member in a direction to release the stringer held thereby so as to produce a separation of the starting ends of said stringers in substantially instantaneous response to the release of said latch.

14. A device for releasably holding the starting ends of a pair of complementary slide fastener stringers in predetermined operative relationship so that quick parting thereof can be initiated by separating the starting ends thereof comprising base structure, means for fixedly anchoring the starting end of one of said stringers to said base structure, a member for releasably holding the starting end of the second of said stringers in operative relationship with the first, means for constantly biasing said stringer holding member in a direction to release the stringer thereby, a latch to lock said stringer holding member in stringer holding position, means for constantly biasing said latch to latching position and means to release said latch at will thereby to effect a substantially instantaneous release of the starting ends of said stringers by virtue of the biasing force exerted on said holding means.

15. A device for releasably holding the starting ends of a pair of complementary slide fastener stringers in predetermined relationship so that quick parting thereof can be initiated by separating the starting ends thereof comprising base structure, means for fixedly anchoring the starting end of one of said stringers to said base structure, a rockable member on said base structure for holding the starting end of the second of said stringers in operative relationship with the first When said member is rocked to one position, a locking cam rockable with said rockable member, latching means to lock said cam when said rockable member is at said one position, means for constantly biasing said latching means to latching position, means to release said latching means at will and means for constantly biasing said locking cam and rockable member in a direction to release the stringer held thereby so as to produce a separation of the starting ends of said stringers in substantially instantaneous response to the release of said latching means.

16. A device for releasably holding the starting ends of a plurality of pairs of complementary slide fasteners running in different directions and having starting ends located in a substantially common area in predetermined operative relationship so that quick parting thereof can be initiated by separating the starting ends thereof substantially simultaneously comprising base structure, means for fixedly anchoring the starting end of one of the stringers in each pair of complementary stringers to said base structure, rockable members on said base structure individual to the second stringer in each pair of complernentary slide fasteners releasably to hold the said second stringer in each pair in operative relationship with the first when said members are rocked to a first position, locking cams rockable with said rockable members, latching means common to said locking cams to lock the same when said rockable members are at said first position, means for constantly biasing said latching means to latching position, manually operable means to release said latching means at will and means for constantly biasing said locking cams and rockable members in a direction to release the stringers held thereby so as to produce a separation of the starting ends of each pair of said slide fasteners substantially simultaneously in substantially instantaneous response to the release of said latching means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,302,182 Lancaster Apr. 29, 1919 1,340,187 Sundback May 18, 1920 1,428,343 Runcie Sept. 5, 1922 1,531,522 Parsons Mar. 31, 1925 2,296,358 Marinsky et al Sept. 22, 1942 2,545,817 Krupp Mar. 20, 1951 2,553,230 Bashover May 15, 1951 2,569,076 Schaye Sept. 25, 1951 2,830,349 Van Amburg Apr. 15, 1958 2,889,605 Morin June 9, 1959 2,939,467 Meyer et a1 June 7, 1960 3,042,051 Mauldin July 3, 1962 3,059,655 Bird 2. Oct. 23, 1962 

4. A QUICKLY STRIKABLE AIR-ERECTED AND SUPPORTED BUILDING STRUCTURE COMPRISING A FLEXIBLE SUBSTANTIALLY AIRTIGHT ENVELOPE FORMED OF SEPARABLE ADJACENTLY POSITIONABLE SECTIONS, MEANS FOR CONSTANTLY MAINTAINING THE PRESSURE OF THE AIR IN SAID ENVELOPE SUFFICIENTLY IN EXCESS OF ATMOSPHERIC TO MAINTAIN SAID STRUCTURE ERECTED WHILE SAID ADJACENTLY POSITIONABLE SECTIONS ARE CONNECTED TOGETHER, COMPLEMENTARY SEPARABLE FASTENERS RELEASABLY TO CONNECT SAID ADJACENTLY POSITIONABLE SECTIONS TOGETHER, SAID COMPLEMENTARY SEPARABLE FASTENERS BEING FIXED RESPECTIVELY TO THE SEPARATE ADJACENTLY POSITIONABLE SECTIONS AND THE OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF BEING COMPLETELY SEPARABLE TO PERMIT COMPLETE SEPARATION OF THE SAID SECTIONS WHEN SAID COMPLEMENTARY SEPARABLE FASTENERS ARE UNCOUPLED, SLIDER MEANS FOR COUPLING SAID COMPLEMENTARY SEPARABLE FASTENERS TOGETHER OR UNCOUPLING THE SAME AND OTHER MEANS OPERABLE AT WILL TO PERMIT A SUBSTANTIALLY INSTANTANEOUS END-TO-END UNCOUPLING OF THE COUPLED COMPLEMENTARY SEPARABLE FASTENERS IN RESPONSE TO THE FORCE EXERTED ON SAID ENVELOPE BY THE EXCESS PRESSURE THEREIN THEREBY QUICKLY TO PRODUCE A COMPLETE SEPARATION OF THE SAID SECTIONS. 